The Last Spring
by Professor Kirke
Summary: "Every Narnian parent told their children the tale of Narnia's creation and the tree that protected them from the evil witch. The tale said that when the tree as old as Narnia dies, Aslan's protection will be broken and the witch will return. Indeed, that very winter a terrible storm had ravaged Narnia, and it blew the tree over." This is the story of how Narnia fell


Spring in Narnia was a beautiful and joyful season, and what would later de called the Last Spring seemed like any other.

During the first month of spring the Narnians shed their winter coats and put away their extra blankets. The birds migrated north again, and sang from dawn to dusk. The bears and other hibernating Narnians woke up from winter hibernation and prepared their homes for spring. Most Narnians had already started planting their vegetable patches by the time the forests were lush and green again (if the year was good they could reap twice before winter returned).

Everything started with a cool breeze from the north one evening. The next morning Narnia woke up to ice-cold homes and heavy snow falling from a dark grey sky. The snow covered everything in sight, including their newly planted gardens. The nocturnal animals had witnessed the clouds rolling in from the north, but there was nothing they could have done to stop this weather. Most Narnians, even the oldest ones who boasted of surviving the legendary long and cold winter, agreed that this snow was extremely late. In fact, no Narnian had ever known snow to fall this late in the season. Still, most assumed that they were just experiencing winter clinging on a little longer, and that the snow would melt in time.

They were wrong.

Every Narnian parent told their children the tale of Narnia's creation and the tree that protected them from the evil witch. The tale said that when the tree as old as Narnia dies, Aslan's protection will be broken and the witch will return. Indeed, that very winter a terrible storm had ravaged Narnia, and it blew the tree over. Some had raised their concerns about Narnia's safety, but they were ridiculed for believing in children's stories. Aslan would protect them whether or not there was one less apple tree in Narnia.

The king and queen listened to their people's concerns, but they were at a loss about what they could do. Nobody had seen Aslan since the creation of Narnia and the instalment of the first king and queen of Narnia. They decided to increase their military power in case they faced an invasion.

The first action the king and queen took when the enchanted winter hit was to ration food. The food stores in Cair Paravel would normally have lasted for at least a few weeks, maybe a month if rationed strictly, but after the long winter there was barely enough to feed the castle for a week, let alone the rest of Narnia. Their worst fears were confirmed when news reached Cair Paravel of an army mobilising north of the border. The king took action immediately, by rallying the Narnian army and marching north to meet Jadis in battle.

The queen stayed in Cair Paravel managing rations and negotiating trade with neighbouring countries. She did everything in her power to prevent her people from starving. By setting up one food station in each province she ensured that the food they had was shared fairly. The royal vault was emptied, and its contents were shipped off to trade for food. She also donated all of her personal belongings to the war effort. She kept a few woollen dresses to keep warm, and she encouraged other nobility to follow her example.

Her efforts were for naught. Only a few of the ships the queen had sent out made it back to Narnia in time. Jadis raised a wall of ice on the land border and froze the eastern sea. The frozen sea prevented any allies from reaching them, and the wall stopped most Narnians from fleeing to Archenland. Although, some did manage to escape, they spent the rest of their lives in hiding. The talking beasts hid among the dumb animals, and eventually were indistinguishable from them.

One of Jadis' tactics was to send out small raiding parties to steal or burn any food they could find. Narnia's already small supply of food dwindled fast. Hunger weakened the Narnian soldiers, both physically and mentally. The people were also starving, despite the queen's efforts. In their powerlessness and fear, the people grew restless. The two armies had yet to meet in open battle. Jadis was waiting for the Narnians to become desperate. There were people who deserted Narnia and Aslan to join Jadis (many historians believe that she offered deserters food and power in exchange for their undying loyalty).

When she finally attacked, most were relieved. This was, after all, what they had spent weeks waiting and preparing for. Unfortunately, the struggle was brief, and Jadis' army outnumbered the Narnian army. Her army of monsters and traitors met little resistance after her first victory. After Jadis reached Cair Paravel no son of Adam or daughter of Eve was seen in Narnia for one hundred years.

Jadis thawed the wall and the sea opening up Narnia for trade again, this time on her conditions. She declared that any country harbouring Narnian refugees was an enemy of Narnia.

With Jadis' victory there was always winter, but never Christmas.


End file.
